How do I give free trials to members?
Some people may be skeptical about paying for a subscription to your community, especially when you are only starting to get the ball rolling. In order to bring more people into your community, think about offering a free trial to get their foot in the door. It is one of our top recommendations to increase your subscriber base.
In order for promo codes to be applicable, you should connect your Stripe account first.
Log into your Locals community
Go to the Community Admin panel (located under your username menu)
Go to Payment Setup on the left side menu
Go down to the Free Trials section
Click the "Add Free Trial Code" button
Fill out the form
Code - the actual promo code you want to use
Duration - how long the free trial will last once a member submits it (limited to 1 month, up to 6 months for Pro communities)
Start - when do you want to activate the use of this code?
Expiration - when do you want the code to stop working (NOTE: this is the last date someone can apply this code, it is not the date free trials will end)
Add use limit/max limit - if you want to set a limit to how many times this free trial code can be used, you can toggle this on and set the limit (once it is reached, the promo will be invalid even if the expiration date has not been reached)
Multiple codes limit - if you want to limit the use of the new code you are creating by making it so that if a user has used a specific code in the past, they will not be able to apply this new code on any new subscriptions they create on this account. If enabled, you need to select the codes that you don't want to allow users to have used in the past already.
For example:
You have Promo1 and User A has used Promo1 in the past.
You create a new code: Promo2. You do not want users who have already used Promo1 in the past to be able to use Promo2. In this case, you should enable Multiple codes limit and in the Invalidate if used before field, type in "Promo1".
If saved, when User A tries to apply Promo2, they will not be able to. However, User B who has not used Promo1 in the past will be able to apply Promo2.
In order for us to verify past use, if your promo code has a past code limit, users must be logged in to try to apply it. This is something to note in case you email new users about joining your community with a promo code
Upload a custom support landing page image - if you have a custom landing page,
You can adjust the main background image normally shown on the support landing page
That may fit your promo code better by uploading a custom image
Note: this custom image only shows if you use the specific share link (read below), it does not change the image if a user just goes to the regular link and applies the code
Click Save
Now that your free trial code is created, you can start sharing it.
Once you've created your free trial code, if you selected your start date to be today or a previous day, you will see a share icon under Actions, click on it.
It will take you to the Share page with the Code pre-selected (you can always come to this page directly as well and select any valid code)
Select your Sharing channel
Copy the link and share it on your social media or other channels. For Facebook and Twitter, you can share it directly to your account.
Note: Members don't need the link to use a free trial code, they can also apply the code directly when checking out but the custom image only shows if you use the specific share link (read below), it does not change the image if a user just goes to the regular link and applies the code
Members can only use 1 promo code per subscription (this means you can either use a discount code or a free trial code as both are considered promo codes)
Members cannot use the same promo code multiple times
Members cannot have more than 1 free trial period at a time - meaning if they are currently on a free trial and you release a new code, they cannot use the new promo code until their initial free trial has ended
Free trials can only be applied to a new subscription so a member cannot apply a promo to an existing subscription. They would need to cancel and create a new subscription in order to apply a promo code.
Free trials cannot be retracted once a members has applied it to their account
Members are required to enter valid payment details in order to apply for a free trial though they are free to cancel their subscription anytime before the free trial is up
If a member cancels their subscription that has the free trial applied, their free trial will continue until the duration has expired
Promo codes are only applicable on the web for credit card payments, it is not available for subscribers on the mobile app or for coin subscriptions.
In order for promo codes to be applicable, you should connect your Stripe account first.
How do I generate a free trial code?
Log into your Locals community
Go to the Community Admin panel (located under your username menu)
Go to Payment Setup on the left side menu
Go down to the Free Trials section
Click the "Add Free Trial Code" button
Fill out the form
Code - the actual promo code you want to use
Duration - how long the free trial will last once a member submits it (limited to 1 month, up to 6 months for Pro communities)
Start - when do you want to activate the use of this code?
Expiration - when do you want the code to stop working (NOTE: this is the last date someone can apply this code, it is not the date free trials will end)
Add use limit/max limit - if you want to set a limit to how many times this free trial code can be used, you can toggle this on and set the limit (once it is reached, the promo will be invalid even if the expiration date has not been reached)
Multiple codes limit - if you want to limit the use of the new code you are creating by making it so that if a user has used a specific code in the past, they will not be able to apply this new code on any new subscriptions they create on this account. If enabled, you need to select the codes that you don't want to allow users to have used in the past already.
For example:
You have Promo1 and User A has used Promo1 in the past.
You create a new code: Promo2. You do not want users who have already used Promo1 in the past to be able to use Promo2. In this case, you should enable Multiple codes limit and in the Invalidate if used before field, type in "Promo1".
If saved, when User A tries to apply Promo2, they will not be able to. However, User B who has not used Promo1 in the past will be able to apply Promo2.
In order for us to verify past use, if your promo code has a past code limit, users must be logged in to try to apply it. This is something to note in case you email new users about joining your community with a promo code
Upload a custom support landing page image - if you have a custom landing page,
You can adjust the main background image normally shown on the support landing page
That may fit your promo code better by uploading a custom image
Note: this custom image only shows if you use the specific share link (read below), it does not change the image if a user just goes to the regular link and applies the code
Click Save
Now that your free trial code is created, you can start sharing it.
How do I share my free trial code?
Once you've created your free trial code, if you selected your start date to be today or a previous day, you will see a share icon under Actions, click on it.
It will take you to the Share page with the Code pre-selected (you can always come to this page directly as well and select any valid code)
Select your Sharing channel
Copy the link and share it on your social media or other channels. For Facebook and Twitter, you can share it directly to your account.
Note: Members don't need the link to use a free trial code, they can also apply the code directly when checking out but the custom image only shows if you use the specific share link (read below), it does not change the image if a user just goes to the regular link and applies the code
Are there any limitations with free trial codes?
Members can only use 1 promo code per subscription (this means you can either use a discount code or a free trial code as both are considered promo codes)
Members cannot use the same promo code multiple times
Members cannot have more than 1 free trial period at a time - meaning if they are currently on a free trial and you release a new code, they cannot use the new promo code until their initial free trial has ended
Free trials can only be applied to a new subscription so a member cannot apply a promo to an existing subscription. They would need to cancel and create a new subscription in order to apply a promo code.
Free trials cannot be retracted once a members has applied it to their account
Members are required to enter valid payment details in order to apply for a free trial though they are free to cancel their subscription anytime before the free trial is up
If a member cancels their subscription that has the free trial applied, their free trial will continue until the duration has expired
Promo codes are only applicable on the web for credit card payments, it is not available for subscribers on the mobile app or for coin subscriptions.
Updated on: 07/07/2023